"Anas will on Wednesday be called as witness who has filed the report," Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam, a spokesman of the National Police, said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Investigators of the National Police`s Investigation and Criminal Department will on Wednesday (July 27) question Democrat Party Chairman Anas Urbaningrum concerning defamatory and slander cases.

"Anas will on Wednesday be called as witness who has filed the report," Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam, a spokesman of the National Police, said here on Friday.

Anas Urbaningrum had formally reported the party`s former treasurer, M Nazaruddin, to the police for defamation and slander, on July 5, 2011.

"We have filed our report on Nazaruddin`s defamatory and slandering acts, and the police have given our report the registration number 412 while their receipt bears the number 244," Patra M Zen, one of Anas`s lawyers said at the National Police Headquarters after filing the report early this month.

Nazaruddin had defamed and slandered Anas in a short text message he had sent from overseas where had been since leaving Indonesia for Singapore not long ago.

"Our complaint is based on articles in the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions, and the Criminal Code," Patra said.

About the evidence of Nazaruddin`s alleged wrongdoing, Patra said he had asked National Police`s Criminal Investigation Department investigators to trace the short text message Nazaruddin had sent by a BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

In the message Anas Urbaningrum was said to have received kickbacks over the Sea Games XXVI Athletes Village project.

Nazaruddin whom the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named a suspect in bribery connected with the Sea Games Athletes Village project at Jakabaring, Palembang, had left for Singapore one day before the anti-graft body officially requested an overseas travel ban on him last May 25.

The National Police Headquarters had issued an international "red notice" on Nazaruddin whereby Interpol was expected to help trace and arrest him wherever in the world he happened to be.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011